Do you ever wonder if that skinny woman on the subway was just “born that way”? It’s possible—after all, weight is influenced by a lot of factors, including genetics, lifestyle…even how much we fidget. But it’s also possible that she acts like a thin person. There's new research on skinny secrets—habits that can help you get slim and stay slim. (And we're not talking about eating micromeals or crazy exercising.) Here are 4 small actions you can start taking right now that can keep you trim.—Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D., Associate Editor, Nutrition for EatingWell Magazine;

1: Step Away From the Screen
One of our favorite things about lunchtime is that it gives us a break from our desks. And stepping away from the computer during lunch has an added health bonus, according to recent research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: it may help you eat less. Participants in the study either ate lunch while playing solitaire on a computer or ate without any distractions (no computer). When quizzed on their feelings of fullness 30 minutes later, the undistracted eaters reported feeling fuller than the group that ate in front of a computer screen. Not only that, when they snacked later on, they ate less.

Secret 2: Eat Water Filled Foods
Foods with a high water content—think soups, salads, cucumbers and watermelon—help you feel full and satisfied on fewer calories. (Interestingly, drinking water alongside foods doesn’t have the same effect.) Starting your meal with a broth-based soup or salad (not drenched in dressing) may help you eat less of your main course. A recent weight-loss trial showed that dieters who drank 2 cups of water before eating lost more weight than those who didn’t (look for more details in an upcoming story in EatingWell Magazine).

Secret 3: Imagine Eating Before You Eat
Picture this: someone in your office brings in doughnuts and places them where you can’t miss them. But before grabbing one as you pass by, you stop, close your eyes and imagine yourself eating the doughnut…slowly. Sure, your co-workers might think you’re a little weird, but there’s a good chance that doing this will keep you from eating as much as you would otherwise. A recent study in Science found that people presented M&Ms who first imagined eating 30 of them one at a time ate fewer of the candies than those who dove right in without the visualization exercise. Researchers think that the repeated imagining got subjects used to the food, which made them crave it less. Or it could just be that if you put that much thought into what you’re about to eat, you pretty much safeguard yourself against mindless eating.

Secret 4: Take a Multivitamin
There’s no magic pill for weight loss, but taking a daily multivitamin may help you shed pounds, reported Emily Sohn in the July/August 2010 issue of EatingWell Magazine. In a study of more than 85 obese women in China, those who took a multivitamin (with 29 vitamins and minerals, much like a “one-a-day” you find on store shelves), while continuing to eat their normal diets, lost an average of about three and a half pounds over six months. Those who took a placebo lost nothing. The findings, published in the International Journal of Obesity, add to a growing field of research that links vitamins and minerals to weight loss. One plausible theory as to why multivitamins might help promote weight loss, suggests Angelo Tremblay, Ph.D., an obesity researcher at Laval University in Quebec City, is that when your body is low on vitamins and minerals, your appetite fires up—prompting you to eat more to replenish the nutrients you’re missing. By staying topped off with nutrients, on the other hand, it may be possible to keep a runaway appetite under control.

A number of environmental organizations have also advocated taking many fish off the menu. The large fish listed here are just six examples EatingWellem> chose to highlight: popular fish that are both depleted and, in many cases, carry higher levels of mercury and PCBs. The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has also posted health advisories on some of these fish at edf.org.

1. Bluefin Tuna

In December 2009 the World Wildlife Fund put the bluefin tuna on its “10 for 2010” list of threatened species, alongside the giant panda, tigers and leatherback turtles. Though environmental groups are advocating for protected status, the bluefin continues to command as much as $177,000 a fish. Bluefin have high levels of mercury and their PCBs are so high that EDF recommends not eating this fish at all.

2. Chilean Sea Bass (aka Patagonian Toothfish)

Slow-growing and prized for its buttery meat, Chilean sea bass has been fished to near depletion in its native cold Antarctic waters. The methods used to catch them—trawlers and longlines—have also damaged the ocean floor and hooked albatross and other seabirds. At present, there is one well-managed fishery that is MSC-certified. EDF has issued a consumption advisory for Chilean sea bass due to high mercury levels: adults should eat no more than two meals per month and children aged 12 and younger should eat it no more than once a month.

3. Grouper

High mercury levels in these giant fish have caused EDF to issue a consumption advisory. Groupers can live to be 40 but only reproduce over a short amount of time, making them vulnerable to overfishing.

4. Monkfish

This strange fish resembles a catfish in that it has whiskers and is a bottom dweller, but its light, fresh taste made it a staple for gourmets. The fish is recovering some after being depleted, but the trawlers that drag for it also threaten the habitat where it lives.

5. Orange Roughy

Like grouper, this fish lives a long life but is slow to reproduce, making it vulnerable to overfishing. As Seafood Watch puts it: “Orange roughy lives 100 years or more—so the fillet in your freezer might be from a fish older than your grandmother!” This also means it has high levels of mercury, causing EDF to issue a health advisory.

6. Salmon (farmed)

Most farmed salmon (and all salmon labeled “Atlantic salmon” is farmed) are raised in tightly packed, open-net pens often rife with parasites and diseases that threaten the wild salmon trying to swim by to their ancestral spawning waters. Farmed salmon are fed fishmeal, given antibiotics to combat diseases and have levels of PCBs high enough to rate a health advisory from EDF. Recently, however, freshwater-farmed Coho salmon have earned a Best Choice status from Seafood Watch. There is hope consumer pressure will encourage more farms to adopt better practices.

Source Articles : Eatingwell.com

A number of environmental organizations have created lists that help identify fish that are sustainable and those that are not. Seafood Watch, the program run by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, has combined data from leading health organizations and environmental groups to come up with their list “Super Green: Best of the Best” of seafood that’s good for you and good for the environment.

To make the list, last updated in January 2010, fish must: 
a) have low levels of contaminants—below 216 parts per billion [ppb] mercury and 11 ppb PCBs;
b) be high in health-promoting omega-3 fats; and
c) come from a sustainable fishery.

Many other options are on the program’s list of “Best Choices” (seafoodwatch.org). The Blue Ocean Institute (blueocean.org) also has sustainability ratings and detailed information.

Here are 6 fish—that are healthy for you and the planet—that Seafood Watch says you should be eating.

1. Albacore Tuna (troll- or pole-caught, from the U.S. or British Columbia)

Many tuna are high in mercury but albacore tuna—the kind of white tuna that’s commonly canned—gets a Super Green rating as long as (and this is the clincher) it is “troll- or pole-caught” in the U.S. or British Columbia. The reason: smaller (usually less than 20 pounds), younger fish are typically caught this way (as opposed to the larger fish caught on longlines). These fish have much lower mercury and contaminant ratings and those caught in colder northern waters often have higher omega-3 counts. The challenge: you need to do your homework to know how your fish was caught or look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue eco label.

2. Salmon (wild-caught, Alaska)

To give you an idea of how well managed Alaska’s salmon fishery is, consider this: biologists are posted at river mouths to count how many wild fish return to spawn. If the numbers begin to dwindle, the fishery is closed before it reaches its limits, as was done recently with some Chinook fisheries. This close monitoring, along with strict quotas and careful management of water quality, means Alaska’s wild-caught salmon are both healthier (they pack 1,210 mg of omega-3s per 3-ounce serving and carry few contaminants) and more sustainable than just about any other salmon fishery.

3. Oysters (farmed)

Farmed oysters are good for you (a 3-ounce serving contains over 300 mg of omega-3s and about a third of the recommended daily values of iron). Better yet, they are actually good for the environment. Oysters feed off the natural nutrients and algae in the water, which improves water quality. They can also act as natural reefs, attracting and providing food for other fish. One health caveat: Raw shellfish, especially those from warm waters, may contain bacteria that can cause illnesses.

4. Sardines, Pacific (wild-caught)

The tiny, inexpensive sardine is making it onto many lists of superfoods and for good reason. It packs more omega-3s (1,950 mg!) per 3-ounce serving than salmon, tuna or just about any other food; it’s also one of the very, very few foods that’s naturally high in vitamin D. Many fish in the herring family are commonly called sardines. Quick to reproduce, Pacific sardines have rebounded from both overfishing and a natural collapse in the 1940s.

5. Rainbow Trout (farmed)

Though lake trout are high in contaminants, nearly all the trout you will find in the market is farmed rainbow trout. In the U.S., rainbow trout are farmed primarily in freshwater ponds and “raceways” where they are more protected from contaminants and fed a fishmeal diet that has been fine-tuned to conserve resources.

6. Freshwater Coho Salmon (farmed in tank systems, from the U.S.)

Freshwater coho salmon is the first—and only—farmed salmon to get a Super Green rating. All other farmed salmon still falls on Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch “avoid” list for a few reasons. Many farms use crowded pens where salmon are easily infected with parasites, may be treated with antibiotics and can spread disease to wild fish (one reason Alaska has banned salmon farms). Also, it can take as much as three pounds of wild fish to raise one pound of salmon. Coho, however, are raised in closed freshwater pens and require less feed, so the environmental impacts are reduced. They’re also a healthy source of omega-3s—one 3-ounce serving delivers 1,025 milligrams.

Source Articles : Eatingwell.com

Which is the healthier lunch: soup or a sandwich?

Based on Eatingwell.com Articles.

If you’re trying to lose weight, chances are you’re spending more time thinking about every food choice you make. And it turns out that, beyond the calories in—calories out equation, the foods you choose can make a difference. Take lunch. When it comes to losing weight, which is the better lunch choice: soup or a sandwich?

—Kerri-Ann Jennings, M.S., R.D. Associate Nutrition Editor for EatingWell Magazine

The Verdict

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule—a creamy clam chowder will pack in more calories than a small turkey sandwich crammed with vegetables, for instance. But as a rule, soup is the better choice. Why?

The Health Benefits of Soup

Soup has a high water content, which can help you feel full. And, just like salad, it’s a good vehicle for vegetables (the fiber in vegetables also promotes feelings of fullness for few calories). Research backs this up. In one study, published in the journal Physiology & Behavior, people consumed the fewest calories on days when they ate soup rather than the same ingredients in solid form.
In another study, published in Appetite, people who started lunch with vegetable soup ended up eating 20 percent less than those who skipped the soup. Broth-based soups packed with veggies give you the biggest bang for your caloric buck. (For an extra weight-loss boost, try these Recipes for Soups to Rev Your Metabolism.)

The Healthier Sandwich Option

If you do go for a sandwich, consider skipping the second slice of bread and make sure to layer on some lean protein and vegetables for added staying power. You’ll save 100 calories when you opt for an open-faced sandwich. And check out these Low-Calorie Wraps & Sandwiches, which will help you meet your calorie goals.